forever
by a beautiful catastrophe
Summary: This is the end of the story of our beloved princess and knight, Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin. And while their bodies might be lifeless, their souls are still alive, watching their son from above, in paradise. They were together in life, they are together in death, and will be together in what comes after that. forever will they be together. for Stella.


**dedicated to stella.**

* * *

As you can see, this line does not start off with "once upon a time" and this tale will not end with "happily ever after". Once upon a time is a cliche, and happily ever afters do not make any fairytale more or less perfect. Instead, this tale will start off with the introductions of our main characters, the princess and the knight, Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin.

let the telling of two lifetimes begin.

* * *

**i. acceptance.**

* * *

When Nymphadora Tonks was one year old (or one year young, as she'd come to say in the future), her mother, Andromeda, noticed that Nymphadora was changing appearances. One day, she'd have Bellatrix's (remember that beautiful sister of yours that you had envied so much, Andromeda? Remember Bella?) wild, savage curls that were too long on her and tumbled down to the floor, and on another, she'd have Narcissa's (remember that gorgeous sister of yours that you had wished you were, Andromeda? Remember Cissy?) dead straight, white-blonde hair. And then one day, she had Regulus' steel grey eyes and—

Andromeda forced a smile, before running to her bedroom.

Nymphadora needed to stop looking like Regulus. Or Narcissa, or Bellatrix. She needed to stop having a reminder of her ex-family living and breathing in her house. She walked up to her vanity table and looked into the reflective glass, and she saw her reflection stare back at her.

She smoothed out her hair (so did her reflection) and wiped away those tears (her reflection did too) before opening the door with a determined expression and then shutting it firmly.

She had to accept that Nymphadora could accidentally change into what seemed like her sisters, her cousin, her parents, her aunts, her uncles—

_you're overthinking this, just accept this small fact,_ she told herself.

* * *

**ii. werewolf.**

* * *

At the same time, Remus Lupin was also having troubles. His mates (mainly James and Sirius) were trying to set him up with Marlene McKinnon and he didn't want that - not that she wasn't a lovely girl - but because he was a werewolf, and he didn't want to scare her off for life.

His friends didn't know that he was a werewolf either.

On those full moons, he'd say:

"I'm going off to visit my mother, she's got dragonpox..."

"I need to attend my grandfather's funeral..."

"I need to go to my grandmother's funeral..."

"Oh, my aunt died, I have to go to her funeral..."

"Uh, well, I have to go to my uncle's will reading..."

And the list went on, and on.

And James, Sirius and (not really) Peter began to suspect that there was something that Remus wasn't telling them, because his "Aunt Lacy had died twice", his "Uncle Robert had died thrice", he'd attended his "cousin Elizabeth's will reading quadruple times" and the list went on. It just so happened that all of those funerals/will readings/emergencies happened to be on full moons as well. And after much debating, they figured that he was a werewolf.

So one day, Sirius brought the fact up when Remus was in the room.

"Uh, James, mate?" Sirius asked, with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Yeah?" James replied, also smirking cockily as if they had planned this all out.

"Don't you find it funny that Remus has had to attend his "cousin Elizabeth's will reading" a total of four times?"

Remus froze like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Yes, actually. Might you explain how this is possible, Remus?" James questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Well I- um- there- is-" Remus stuttered, before Sirius cut him off.

"Coherently would be nice too," Sirius muttered.

His cheeks immediately flamed bright red and inwardly, he groaned. _They won't want to be my friend anymore,_ he thought to himself.

"I'mawerewolf." he muttered to his feet.

"Pardon? Would you mind repeating that?" James asked.

"I'm a werewolf..." he said a slight bit louder and clearer.

There was a moment of stunned silence in the room.

"Well, then, okay." Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders.

"What?" Remus exclaimed, "I'm a_ werewolf_ and all you say is 'well, then, okay'? Don't you not want to be my friend anymore? I'm a monster!"

"Um, Remus," James started, grinning, "We still want to be your friend, and we've known your furry little problem since last month."

* * *

**iii. hogwarts.**

* * *

Nymphadora glanced up at the at the the ceiling of the Great Hall, which was made to look like the sky. And the ceiling looked very much like the sky indeed. The ceiling was a beautiful azure blue that seemed like the sky on the warmest days, where the sun would shine on the damp grass from when it was raining the night before, and a ghost of a rainbow would be faintly etched over the roof of her house. The azure was accompanied by trails and whisps of pearly grey and paper white dotted here and there, now and again.

It was a beautiful sight, and Nymphadora was so entranced by it, she didn't hear Professor McGonagall call her name to be sorted into one of the four houses.

"Nymphadora Tonks!" McGonagall exclaimed, "Are you," she pointed at Nymphadora, "Nymphadora Tonks?"

"Yes, I-" Nymphadora started before taking a step forward and tripping over her own feet, which was met by not-so-discreet snorts of laughter, "am. I'd rather you call me Tonks, though." she finished huffily, getting to her feet, before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Very well, then." McGonagall said, the beginning of an amused smile twiching at her lips.

Tonks sat down on the wooden stool in front of her, and McGonagall placed the sorting hat on her head.

_Nymphadora Tonks, hm, what a name that is. It certainly suits you though._

Tonks' hair turned bright red in surprise, and in humiliation.

_Who are you? _Nymphadora thought, _And why are you in my head? How did you get inside my head? Is this normal? Am I going completely bonkers?_

_To answer your questions, _the intruding voice began, _I am the Sorting Hat, I am in your head to analyze your thoughts to figure which house you will be best in, I had a spell casted on me by Godric Gryffindor that enabled me to do so, that depends on how you define normal and no, you are not going bonkers._

_Well, okay, then. _Tonks thought, bewildered, _should I stop thinking? Or what?_

_Whichever suits you best, _the Sorting Hat replied, _hm, your mother is Andromeda Black, is she not? Oh, well, Andromeda Tonks, now. And your father is Ted Tonks, I take it?_

_Um, yeah. _she thought back, _They're my parents._

_Interesting, interesting. Slytherin doesn't seem to suit you unlike your mother. You have enough intelligence for Ravenclaw, but you lack work ethic. _The Sorting Hat mused. _You'd make an excellent Gryffindor, as you're brave and impulsive...but you seem to go after your father more, so..._

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

* * *

**iv. grown up.**

* * *

Remus Lupin sat in his almost empty apartment in silence. It had been three long years since his former best mates, James, Sirius and Peter, had been killed, sentenced to Azkaban, and killed by Sirius respectively.

If you'd asked Remus Lupin six or seven years ago whether it might be a possibility that this situation would happen, he would have laughed and said, "Not on my life." followed by a grin.

But that was a long time ago, and people change over time, and Remus did. He was no longer that foolish boy that was worried by bad grades, missing books, and due dates for assignments. He was no longer that boy who lived his life away upon parties, firewhiskey and silly games like "Never Have I Ever".

Remus Lupin had finally grown up, Remus Lupin was a wise man, that sat upon an uncomfortable wooden chair, in an almost empty apartment.

* * *

**v. buttocks.**

* * *

"Don't put your wand there, boy! What if it ignited? Better wizards than you have lost buttocks, you know!" Mad-Eye roared.

This seemed to interest Tonks. "Who d' you know who's lost a buttock?" she asked curiously, twirling a lock of violet hair around her finger.

"Never you mind, you just keep your wand out of your back pocket! Elementary wand safety, nobody bothers about it anymore . . ." Moody trailed off.

Tonks rolled her eyes, _Moody's no fun_, she thought to herself, inwardly sighing.

"And I saw that," Mad-Eye added irritably.

* * *

**vi. lucky.**

* * *

Remus felt his eyes being drawn to the shocking violet haired witch talking to Mad-Eye.

He knew that he shouldn't like her in _that_ way and she would never like him back in _that_ way - he was an old, poor, werewolf - but he just couldn't help it.

It was from the way she rambled on, to the way she tripped over her own feet, to the way she changed her hair everyday. Everything about Nymphadora- no- Tonks, made him want to kiss her right then and there, but he resisted.

_Remember, she'll never look at you in the same way, he thought to himself,_ and his heart dropped down into the deepest pits of Tartarus.

* * *

**vii. nymphadora.**

* * *

"And this is Nymphadora—" Remus started before being cut off by Tonks.

"_Don't_ call me Nymphadora, Remus," she said, shuddering, "It's Tonks."

"—Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only," Remus finished.

"So would you if your fool of a mother had called you 'Nymphadora,'" Tonks muttered, before sighing.

* * *

**viii. denial.**

* * *

"Moony," Sirius began, "I need to talk to you about something," his lips began to curve into a devilish smirk, "important."

Remus shrugged, and followed Sirius into a small room.

"What is it, Padfoot?" Remus asked, leaning against the wall.

"I know that you fancy-"

"Padfoot, I'm not gay. I don't fancy you." Remus knew was going to say 'Nymphadora' or 'my little cousin' like he had been sing-songing around the house for the last few days.

"Well, obviously you don't, because, first of all, that'd just be weird. Second of all, I'm straight. Third of all, you fancy the pants off my little cousin, Nymphie, and finally, she fancies the pants off you too, Moony." Sirius said, counting the reasons on his fingers.

"I do not!" Remus denied, "And even if I was, I would never give her such a burden, I'm a werewolf, I'm a dangerous monster!"

"Look, Moony, we've been over this. You're not a monster, and you're clearly in denial."

* * *

**ix. bitten.**

* * *

"You see!" Tonks glared at Remus as if her life depended on it. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"

"It's different," Remus said, tensing up, "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely-"

"But I don't care either, I don't care!" said Tonks, grabbing the front of his robes and shaking them, "I've told you a million times..."

"And I've told you a million times," said Remus, staring at his feet, "that I am too old for you, too poor...too dangerous..."

"I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus," Mrs Weasley said, over Fleur's shoulder.

"I am not being ridiculous," said Lupin steadily. "Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."

"But she wants you," said Mr. Weasley, with a small smile. "And after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so."

* * *

**x. love.**

* * *

"I love you, Remus." Tonks whispered to him.

"I love you too, Dora." Remus whispered back to her.

"You'll never leave me, yeah?" Tonks asked, her voice wavery and ending on an uncertain note.

"Never." he murmured, grabbing her arm and squeezing it affectionately, "Never."

"Do you promise?" she asked, her head resting on the crook of his neck.

"I promise." he confirmed, before kissing her forhead.

"Say the whole thing," she whispered, "please."

"I promise that I'll never leave you, Dora, I promise."

And his lips met hers, and it was soft and sweet like every kiss should be.

* * *

**xi. together.**

* * *

Remus turned his head for a spilt second and he could swear he saw a glimpse of bubblegum pink hair.

No.

Tonks couldn't be here.

She had to be at Andromeda's house, safe and sound.

Please.

"Remus!" yelled a voice behind him, accompanied by thudding footsteps.

"Tonks! I told you to stay with Andromeda!" he yelled back, turning on his heel to face Tonks' approaching figure.

"I just couldn't, knowing you were here fighting without me! You could've been dead, Remus, for all I knew! I had to make sure you were safe!"

"It doesn't matter about me, or my safety, it matters about yourself and your safety! Teddy needs to have his mother! Not his father!"

"It's either has both of us or none! If you go down, Remus, I go with you!" she screamed.

"We're both going to die, then! I won't stop fighting until this war is over!"

"Oh, it's the werewolf and the blood traitor's daughter," a low voice said, and before either Tonks or Remus could turn around-

"AVADA KADAVRA!"

And they both were motionless, and would be for eternity.

* * *

**xii. the end.**

* * *

This is the end of the story of our beloved princess and knight, Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin. And while their bodies might be lifeless, and buried under the cold ground, their souls are still alive, watching their son from above, in paradise. They were together in life, they are together in death, and will be together in what comes after that.

forever will they be together.


End file.
